The Russian Alphabet (Cyrillic): A Complete Beginner’s Guide
Learn all 33 Cyrillic letters faster by tackling them in smart groups. This guide covers sounds, false friends, and a proven order to start reading.
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First month in Berlin & 8 language 6 dialect tour of my flat
It’s been a month since I arrived in Berlin, so it’s about time for a mission update! To make it more interesting, I’ve decided to include this multilingual video tour of my flat. I also made (just English) videos to show my home in Prague and Rio, since I host Couchsurfers most of the time […]
First Week in Germany, No English. Here’s How I Did It
*Note: Written in 2010 From the blog’s origin era (2009–2014) — kept as lived proof of the method. See all the missions. Just one week into my latest crazy mission and I am happy to report that I have only been speaking German with Germans since I got here. Apart from with my landlord (who […]
German 3 month mission: Sit C2 exam
Take Note: I wrote this post while preparing for my German mission in Berlin back in 2010. It’s a good post to read when preparing for your next language mission, so you can see what I take into consideration and how I approach short and long term goals. Enjoy! From the blog’s origin era (2009–2014) — […]
Are you close-minded? How I finally learned how to get along with Parisians
If you ask someone the question “Are you close-minded?” the answer will almost certainly be a no. I don’t think anyone in the world sees themselves as closed minded. They are always sceptical or simply convinced that the other guy is wrong. The description closed minded is one we tend to reserve for someone else. […]
Getting along with other learners & conclusions of Thai mission
From the blog’s origin era (2009–2014) — kept as lived proof of the method. See all the missions. What an experience!! This “dipping my toes” in my first Asian language has helped me see so many things I hadn’t realised before, despite the extremely little amount of time that I actually put into it, i.e. […]
My Thailand experience
Travel update – no language tips in this (long) post My experience in Thailand has ended and I’m already back in Europe (in Paris for the weekend, Ireland for the next 3 weeks and then starting the next 3-month mission). I’ve learned quite a lot in terms of general life lessons, as well as for […]
Don’t just stand there… Say something!
My 8 weeks in Thailand are up – I had made some great progress in reading Thai symbols and tone rules in the first month, but for nearly all of the last 3 weeks in Bangkok I’ve have to work double time and have, unfortunately, barely been out of my apartment! This meant that the […]
One simple step to improve chances of success in any mission
When you take on any major project like learn a language, get out of debt, lose weight etc., out of all the things that can hold you back from reaching your goal, there is one that stands out above all the rest: Motivation You clearly want it; it could even be one of the major […]
Is it better to travel to villages for language/cultural immersion?
When considering where to move to in a country, there seems to be this general consensus that you’ll have a greater feeling of immersion, both cultural and linguistic, if you choose a small town / village over a major city. I disagree. If you happen to like villages for their serenity, pace of life etc., […]
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